For an afternoon, the Mets provided a peek at the kind of ballclub they aspired to be in 2023 long before the losing began. 

They were not the team making the mental mistakes.

Their bats were the ones punishing pitches over the middle of the plate.

They made a physical error, but it did not become a backbreaker because Justin Verlander resembled the pitcher the Mets expected him to be. 

The Mets co-ace dominated the Giants through seven innings of a 4-1 victory in front of 34,887 at Citi Field on Saturday. 

The Mets (37-46), who can only hope they took a step out of the spiral that has consumed them, will have an opportunity Sunday, behind David Peterson, to win a series for the first time since they completed a sweep of the Phillies on June 1. After a disastrous, 7-19 June, the Mets are undefeated through one July game. 

Verlander was brilliant, and three third-inning home runs gave the Mets a cushion.

But through the last month, manager Buck Showalter’s crew continually has been burned by mistakes — mental or physical — that have allowed opponents to break through. 

The mistake this time appeared in the seventh inning, but Verlander’s brilliance made it forgettable. 

With former Met J.D. Davis on first base, nobody out and the Mets leading 4-0, Patrick Bailey grounded to Pete Alonso.

The first baseman did not step on the bag, but instead threw immediately to second base — wide of Francisco Lindor and into left field.

After Alonso’s second error in as many games, runners were on the corners and the Giants were threatening a second comeback in two days. 

But the threat was extinguished quickly.

Former Yankee Thairo Estrada hit into a double play that scored a run. But after Blake Sabol (double) and Austin Slater (walk) mounted another potential rally in the inning, Verlander punctuated his day by striking out Brandon Crawford, then pumped his fist twice while coming off the mound. 

Verlander, who first was injured and then was inconsistent, may finally be rounding into form.

The 40-year-old allowed just one unearned run on five hits with one walk in seven innings.

In his past four starts, his ERA has plunged from 4.85 to 3.66. 

Maybe he is raising the Mets’ low playoff odds, or maybe he simply is raising his trade value. Regardless, Verlander provided rare length for a Mets rotation that has struggled to go deep into games all season.

He struck out six and was around the strike zone throughout (69 strikes of 102 pitches), leading with his slider for a change.

The Giants swung at 21 of his sliders and missed 11 times. 

Drew Smith pitched a scoreless eighth inning, and Adam Ottavino came in for a drama-free ninth in a rare game that did not provide much anxiety. 

The Mets jumped out to a three-run lead in the third, when Francisco Alvarez, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor all homered off Anthony DeSclafani.

The Mets only recorded one more hit in the game — an RBI double from a sizzling-hot Tommy Pham in the fourth inning — but that was all they needed. 

In yet another rarity, it was not the Mets who ran into unnecessary outs on the basepaths.

In the fifth inning, Estrada attempted to steal second base on a pitch on which Sabol fouled out. 

Estrada dove into second, took a step toward third and rounded his way, through the infield grass, back to first base without retouching second.

As a result, Estrada was doubled off. 

So far this season, it had been the Mets making those kinds of errors. But with a new month always comes new hope — which becomes a bit more realistic when Verlander is pitching like a three-time Cy Young winner.